Kaji: The Storm and the Sofa
FADE IN
Act 1
INT. HOME - NIGHT
Warmly lit. The sounds of a TV show mumur in the background. KAJI rests on a plush sofa. The PACK LEADER and PETER sit at a dining table. Kaji's nose twitches. A delicious aroma fills the air.
KAJI (V.O.): Ah, the forbidden scent. The smell of the dinner they think I shouldn't have.
Pausing.
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): It's a scent that promises joy, and a swift, firm "No".
Pausing.
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): But I've a warm sofa. And I've them.
Then a sound from outside filters in-a distant, low rumble. Kaji's ears perk up. Her body tenses.
PETER: It's not thundering...
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): Right. Not like...that night.
Act 2
FLASHBACK
EXT. RIVERSIDE PARK - NIGHT (A few days ago)
Kaji, the Pack Leader and Peter have done their walk.
KAJI (V.O.): This is our routine. The perfect walk.
Kaji hops onto a park bench. Peter sits beside her, pulling out his phone.
PACK LEADER: I'm going to buy a cup of ice coffee, as usual.
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): This is our post-walk ritual. Peter and I would guard the bench and wait for her return before we go home.
Kaji looks around.
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): I don't see other dogs and their carers. I've a hunch...
The air changes. It happens in a single instant. The gentle breeze whips up into a fierce gust. The rain arrives not as drops but as a solid wall of water.
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): OMG, we're getting wet. This is worse than going to my hairdresser.
Peter fumbles with the umbrella, finally managing to pop it open. The umbrella flutters and dances in the wind, barely holding.
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): This little shield of cloth and wire is a joke.
Then a flash of lightning illuminates the park, stark and white.
PETER: OMG...
The thunder that follows is not a rumble, but a deafening crack that splits the world into two. Kaji is stunned.
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): This is very frightful.
PETER: Whoa!
Peter huddles over Kaji, his arms wrapped tightly around her.
PETER (Cont'd): It's okay, girl. I've got you.
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): I can smell his fear.
Another closer flash.
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): My entire body has gone rigid.
Another closer thunder.
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): Peter can feel I'm trembling violently.
Trembling violently.
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): I can feel Peter's heart beating as fast as mine.
Kaji looks towards the path, her desperate, frantic eyes searching for the Pack Leader.
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): She always knows what to do. When will she be back?
Then, through the curtain of rain, a figure appears.
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): The Pack Leader?
The Pack Leader is completely drenched. Her hair is plastered on her face, her clothes clinging to her like a second skin.
PACK LEADER: I'm back!
She wraps her arms around Kaji, sandwiching her between herself and Peter.
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): Their arms are cold and wet, but their grip is strong. The Pack Leader didn't run for cover. She came back for me.
Pausing.
KAJI (V.O.) (Cont'd): If I didn't have them, how could I bear this terrible, shaking fear?
RETURN TO PRESENT
Act 3
INT. HOME - CONTINUOUS
The outside world is quiet. Kaji rests her head on her paws, staring at the Pack Leader and Peter.
KAJI (V.O.): The storm is gone. The fear is a memory. They're here. The room is warm and dry.
Letting out a soft, happy sigh.
KAJI (V.O.)(Cont'd): Home. The safest place in any world. Because they're in it.
Closing her eyes.
KAJI (V.O.)(Cont'd): The storm and the sofa are connected by a single thread-the people who hold me through both. Without them, the sofa is just furniture. With them, it's sanctuary.
FADE OUT
THE END
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